Normally, the Heavenly Dao would appear as white light within a blue-white void when it wished to converse, typically using a gentle and emotional tone. The Black Heavenly Dao was an emergency state—a "safe mode" triggered when it detected a system error or something that deviated fundamentally from the original design.
Holding the Time Key, Seven Star felt like a technical support officer helping the system identify its own bugs. Usually, the Heavenly Dao provided a detailed guide: what to do, the sequence of missions, priority levels, rewards, and punishments. But this time, there was nothing. It simply announced an error before shutting down. The timeline would then reset, wiping everyone’s memories—except for his. As the holder of the Time Key, his mind remained intact. Even the Heavenly Dao’s own memory was wiped, leaving it unable to offer solutions, mission systems, or warnings.
“Perhaps the system glitched because the alien spacecraft suddenly appeared on the continent, threatening the races of the Mortal Realm,” Seven Star mused. “If I can just find a way to destroy them or prevent their arrival, this should end.”
Seven Star unsheathed five of his Seven Star Divine Swords:
- Seven Star Dragon Slayer, Divine Sword
- Seven Star God Slayer, Divine Sword
- Seven Star Immortal Slayer, Divine Sword (for the Immortal Race)
- Seven Star Yao Slayer, Divine Sword
- Seven Star Asura Slayer, Divine Sword
- Seven Star Human Slayer, Divine Sword (Lost)
- Seven Star Ghost Slayer, Divine Sword (Lost)
He gripped the God Slayer tightly; these aliens were like gods, treating their physical forms as mere clothing that could be discarded for a Divine Body. The other four swords orbited him protectively.
Seven Star leaped from the White Dragon airship. The Little White Dragon King immediately transformed and flew out to catch him, racing toward the Evil God’s High Tower. The four Divine Swords spun like high-velocity drills, piercing through the tower's energy shields with a deafening explosion, carving a path for Seven Star to enter.
Watching from a distance, Asura Bana turned to his father, Asura Bali. "Father, that man is a true hero, charging alone into the heart of the enemy. I am not his equal, but I wish to follow and support him."
Bali refused immediately. "No. That is a death wish, not a strategy. Though I have over a hundred sons, none are as brilliant as you. I will not watch you die like that."
Bana laughed heartily. "To die in the midst of ten thousand foes, treading upon the fallen—that is an honor beyond shame. I want to lead the vanguard!"
Unwilling to send his son into such peril alone, Bali asked his generals for volunteers. All declined. Only Prahlada—Bali’s father and the first Asura granted entry to this world by the Heavenly Dao—spoke up. Known as the holiest Asura and the army's prophetic advisor, he said, "Let Bana go. I have seen his fate; he will not die. On the contrary, this path leads to his greatest glory."
Hearing his father's counsel, Bali relented. He commanded the technical team: "Open the spatial gate. Send my son to the center of the battlefield. Let him show the world the full extent of his power!"
As Bana stepped into the light, a technician warned, "Prince, be careful. We are dropping you into the heart of the enemy. Your bracer has twelve short-range blinks (under 1000m). If the bracer breaks, we will automatically trigger a massive spatial gate beneath you to pull everyone in that radius back here."
Bana grimaced. "Hurry up! Too many words and my hero will be dead before I arrive!"
A streak of white light slammed into the Evil God's Tower, drilling through the energy shield. Bana soared through the breach. A monocle-like device over his left eye displayed the tower's layout and Seven Star’s location.
If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Bana let out a primal roar, his body swelling to a titanic size with a hundred arms. He clasped his two primary hands, eyes closed in prayer. "O Shiva, my God, grant me your dance, that I may crush my enemies!"
The spirit of Asura Shiva manifested. A red aura enveloped Bana as he began to move in the Dance of Shiva. His hundred arms moved in a blur—striking, parrying, and snatching anything within reach to use as a weapon. It was as beautiful as it was lethal.
As Bana approached Seven Star, the voice of Shiva echoed: "I sense a distortion in space and time. Keep your distance from that man."
"But he is my hero!" Bana protested. "I want to embrace him!"
"Trust me," Shiva replied. "I never harm my followers."
Bana bowed his head. "As you wish."
Seven Star (S+, lv 899) stood with the God Slayer sword in hand, his four other blades dancing around him. Behind him, the White Dragon Maiden (S, lv 799)—the transformed Little Dragon King—wielded a Silver Dragon Sword, each strike summoning miniature cyclones that blew enemies away.
Bana watched in awe. "If we were in the same era, I would challenge you. You are magnificent."
At that moment, the spirit of Shiva separated from Bana, manifesting as a being of pure light—a Divine Body. The God Slayer sword in Seven Star's hand began to vibrate violently, sensing a worthy opponent for the first time inside the tower.
"Who are you?" Seven Star demanded. "Name yourself before I strike."
"Calm yourself," Shiva replied. "We are allies, not enemies. I am Shiva. And you... are you a Time Mage, or the holder of the Time Key? How many times have we met now?"
Seven Star pulled the Time Key from beneath his robes. "You know of this? This is our first meeting."
Shiva nodded. "I know it well. Thousands of years ago, in my era, I was the master of that key. Tell me, does that girl hold the other half?"
Seven Star shook his head. "No. She is my adopted daughter. She knows nothing of the key."
"The Heavenly Dao never calls upon a single person for such a role," Shiva noted. "There must be at least two. Do you know who the other is?"
Seven Star hesitated, then nodded. "Yes... I know. Tell me, what do you know of the Black Heavenly Dao?"
Shiva smiled. "In our tongue, the Heavenly Dao is called Brahma—the Great Wisdom, a Divine Artificial Intelligence created to help the Creator manage this world. Originally, there was only one Brahma. But once, Brahma was hacked by the aliens. As the Time Key holder then, I had to make a choice. I split Brahma into two.
Four-fifths remained as the original White Brahma. The remaining fifth was hidden, set to activate only if the White Brahma was disabled. White Brahma is unaware of Black Brahma’s existence, but Black Brahma knows everything the White one does.
White Brahma sets the rules and maintains balance. Black Brahma, however, has the power to break the laws. It has no limits, no rules; it exists only to achieve the Creator’s goal. Think of White Brahma as the internal administrator, and Black Brahma as the external enforcer—unfiltered and unrestrained."
The pieces began to fall into place for Seven Star. "I see. We need a better place to talk. This battlefield is too distracting."
"Agreed," Shiva said. "Let us return to the Asura headquarters. Bana, take us back."
Bana smashed his spatial bracer. A massive gate opened, pulling them all back to safety. Seven Star spent the next several dozen loops simply talking to Shiva. As an alien race themselves, the Asura knew much about the other invaders, and Shiva’s past experience with the Time Key was invaluable.
He also learned the "Rule of the Asura": they only help the weak or the recklessly heroic. To gain their full support, he realized he had to let the Yao Race suffer a partial defeat first. If the Immortal Race joined too early and looked like they were winning, the Asura would likely attack them instead.
Following Shiva’s guidance, Seven Star began to exploit the "law-breaking" power of the Black Heavenly Dao. Instantly, his stats surged to 1000 across the board. Every spell in existence appeared before him, ready to be learned without restriction. He commanded the system to find his two lost Divine Swords.
The Black Heavenly Dao complied but issued a warning: "This state only exists within this anomaly. When the system returns to normal, all 'abnormal' data will be purged."
"Will I keep anything?" Seven Star asked.
"Nothing. Your gear and stats will revert. You will lose everything I have granted you. Everything... except your memory."
Seven Star’s eyes sharpened. "Then I will use this time to memorize every skill and record them into books."
"You may. But even with the time loops, the sheer volume of knowledge is immense. There are still limits."
"I understand."
Seven Star spent countless loops mastering the essence of the ultimate skills. He created six high-tier clones (SS, lv 999), combining them with himself to form the Seven Star Sword Formation. He practiced compressing it into five-sword, three-sword, and single-sword offensive variations. He also developed defensive formations for when he lacked full equipment.
He thought his progress was peak—until he invited Queen Moon to join him. When she unleashed her full potential under the law-breaking state, he realized she was the true genius of "breaking the rules."